1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to racks, stands, and supports for temporarily holding or supporting various articles, and more specifically to a portable rack for temporary penetration of the ground for leaning, resting, and/or suspending various garden tools and accessories therefrom. The present rack is constructed as a rigid, unitary structure, and includes means for precluding rotation in the event that laterally asymmetric loads are placed upon the device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Gardening and relatively light duty landscaping activities are popular hobbies with many homeowners, and in fact some amount of such work is a nearly universal requirement for all homeowners. Such work generally involves the use of small trowels and other relatively small hand tools and accessories, and also often requires larger, longer handled tools, such as shovels, rakes, hoes, edgers, etc., depending upon the specific task(s).
Most people will require several different tools during any given gardening session, as it is a rare occasion that the time is spent solely on a single type of operation (e.g., digging and spading, or raking, etc.). Most gardening activities will require several different tools to be used during the operation, with the gardener alternately setting one tool aside and picking up another according to the specific operation being performed. This is not a particularly arduous procedure for operations with relatively small hand tools, as the gardener is generally upon his/her hands and knees anyway, and such small tools may be set aside within arms reach as needed.
However, where larger tools (shovels, rakes, hoes, etc.) are used, the gardener remains standing. Yet, the tools must be placed upon the ground unless there is some convenient structure against which the tools may be placed. This is often not the case unless one is working along a fence or the wall of a house or the like. In a garden, there are often no structures whatsoever against which such tools may be temporarily placed until needed, thus requiring the gardener to stoop and bend each time a different larger tool is needed. The repeated stooping and bending to set aside and pick up different tools during the course of a gardening session can prove to be rather arduous, and in fact may account for a large part of the back strain and discomfort which may be experienced by gardeners after a session working in their flower beds, gardens, etc.
Accordingly, a need will be seen for a portable rack or rest for temporarily supporting various larger hand tools as commonly used in gardening and manual landscaping operations, for precluding any requirement for the gardener to bend and stoop to pick up such tools. The present rack comprises a central column with at least two crossmembers rigidly and immovably secured thereto. The lower crossmember serves as a planting device upon which the gardener may step to plant the rack temporarily into the ground, while at least one upper crossmember includes a plurality of lateral fingers or extensions defining a series of tool handle rests therebetween. The lower end of the central column includes a spade or blade extending laterally therefrom, which precludes the rotation of the rack within its hole in the ground when asymmetric loads are placed upon the tool rest crossmember. The present rack may be formed in any suitable dimensions to support larger or smaller tools.
A discussion of the related art of which the present inventor is aware, and its differences and distinctions from the present invention, is provided below.
U.S. Pat. No. 96,484 issued on Nov. 2, 1869 to Benoit Roux, titled "Shovel Stand," describes a device for indoor use for holding a relatively small shovel and other utensils for use in a fireplace or the like. As such, no means is provided for embedding the device in the ground, as provided by the present invention. Moreover, the Roux stand is disassembleable, unlike the unitary construction of the present invention, and the Roux stand is limited to holding only two tools.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,150,256 issued on Aug. 17, 1915 to Oris K. Dunbar, titled "Display Rack," describes a disassembleable stand having a series of support legs into which a vertical column is threaded. No means of planting the device in the ground is provided. The upper end has a detachable circular rack thereon, for removably holding a variety of different implements. The implements are not leaned against the upper rack, as no means is provided to prevent such implements from falling over laterally. In contrast, the present invention includes a series of tool handle rests, in which the elongate handles of the tools may be leaned for ease of retrieval as desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,069,021 issued on Dec. 18, 1962 to Ruth C. Gray, titled "Garment Drying Apparatus," describes a folding, generally circular clothes drying rack having a series of radially disposed legs for support atop a surface, and another series of radially disposed arms surrounded by a peripheral clothesline. The radial arms and surrounding clothesline do not define any tool handle rests therealong, and a tool which was leaned against such a device would fall over laterally unless carefully positioned. Moreover, the Gray clothes rack does not penetrate or anchor into the ground, and may be folded and disassembled, unlike the unitary, monolithic construction and ground penetration anchoring of the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,076,557 issued on Feb. 5, 1963 to Ralph Husted et al., titled "Portable, Foldable Support," describes a T-shaped device having a lower ground penetrating spike and a pair of folding upper lateral arms. Husted et al. provide hooks depending from the bottoms of the folding arms for hanging the handle or bale of a lantern or the like therefrom. However, no laterally extending fingers or pins are disclosed for defining a series of tool handle rests therebetween, as in the present portable rack invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,170,612 issued on Feb. 23, 1965 to Gordon Blumenschein, titled "Garden Tool Holder," describes a device having a single rod element with a ground penetrating spike and lateral offset for planting the device in the ground. The tool holder is removably installed in the upper end of the rod. by a spring or the like surrounding the upper end of the rod, with an extension of the holder placed within the spring coils. This allows the tool holder(s) to rotate axially about the rod if an asymmetric load is placed thereagainst, as by one or more tool handles being leaned against the holder(s). Moreover, no spade or blade elements extend laterally from the ground penetrating spike of the rod. This allows the rod to rotate relatively easily when an uneven lateral load is placed thereon. In contrast, the present rack is a rigid, unitary structure with lateral blades, and resists rotation due to any asymmetric loads which may be imparted thereto. Also, the Blumenschein holder is adapted only for hanging small hand tools therefrom (column 2, lines 49-51 of Blumenschein), rather than leaning larger tools thereagainst as in the present rack.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,925 issued on Aug. 28, 1984 to Harry Ratzloff et al., titled "Wheelbarrow And Garden Tool Storage Rack," describes a wall mounted rack for holding tools and a wheelbarrow clear of the floor. The Ratzloff et al. rack is generally T-shaped, but is secured to the wall of a structure, rather than penetrating the ground for support as in the present invention. Moreover, the Ratzloff et al. rack is adapted for suspending and completely supporting tools therein, rather than serving as a structure for leaning the tools thereagainst with the lower ends of the tools resting on the ground, as in the present rack invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,239 issued on Jan. 14, 1992 to Joseph W. Rowland, titled "Golf-Club Holder For Use With Golf Carts," describes a stake with a point for imbedding in the ground and an upper end having a series of short chains with rings secured to their distal ends. A golf club grip is inserted through the ring with the head of the club resting on the ground, with the limited length of the chain holding the club in a generally vertical orientation for ease of acquisition when desired The Rowland device does not possess unitary, rigid construction, as in the present rack invention, nor is it sufficiently tall as to provide a rest for longer handled tools. Moreover, Rowland does not provide a rigid, lateral arm extending across the top of the vertical stake for laterally supporting the handles of tools rested thereagainst, and in fact teaches away from such a structure due to the need for the device to fit compactly within a golf bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,754 issued on Jun. 10, 1997 to Lynwood P. Ennis, titled "Golf Club Stand Apparatus," describes a device related to that of the '239 U.S. Patent to Rowland discussed immediately above. The Ennis stand comprises a shaft with a pronged fork at the lower end thereof, for embedding in the ground. The opposite upper end of the shaft has a semicircular arm removably attached thereto. The grip or handle ends of golf clubs are leaned within the curved upper arm, with the club heads resting on the ground. The Ennis-club holder limits the number of tools or other elongate articles which may be held therein, and the pronged base does not provide the security against turning within the ground which the present laterally disposed blade or spade provides. The Ennis stand, with its assembly of parts, is relatively weak in comparison to the solid, unitary construction of the present tool holder.
U.S. Pat. No. D-184,592 issued on Mar. 10, 1959 to Lloyd E. Vetter, titled "Rack For Gardening Tools," illustrates a design formed of relatively thin, flat bar stock or the like. No lower lateral foot planting crossmember nor upper lateral tool rest crossmember is provided. Rather, two pairs of opposed loops formed of flat stock extend laterally across the main vertical member. A tool could not be merely leaned against the Vetter rack, due to the loops, but rather the tool handle would have to be inserted within one of the loops for the device to support the tool. This would require the tool to be lifted from the loop, rather than merely moved laterally away from the rack, as in the present rack invention.
U.S. Pat. No. D-377,310 issued on Jan. 14, 1997 to Jim C. Crump, Jr., titled "Tool Holder," illustrates a design having a flat plate for mounting atop a floor or other supporting surface, rather than being imbedded in the ground. A column extends upwardly from the plate, with a tray having opposed flanges extending therefrom being mounted atop the column. At least the lower mounting plate and the upper tray are formed of flat sheet material, with the tray being bolted to the upper end of the column. In contrast, the present rack is formed of unitary construction of bar stock or tubular materials and includes means for anchoring in the ground, unlike the Crump, Jr. design.
German Patent Publication No. 142,779 patented on Mar. 11, 1902 illustrates a device for anchoring in the ground, comprising a hollow tubular anchor which is imbedded in the ground with a shaft or rod inserted therein. A hollow upper tube having a pair of opposed arms is placed over the upper end of the rod, and is free to rotate on the rod relative to the ground anchor. A platform is disposed on one arm, with a counterweight on the other arm. The device cannot support a lateral load leaned against one of the arms, as the arms would rotate under such a load. No foot planting crossbar is provided, and no ground engaging spade or blade is provided, nor is one needed to prevent the ground engaging tube from rotating within the ground, as the upper portion of the device is free to rotate in any event.
Swiss Patent Publication No. 298,715 published on Jul. 16, 1954 illustrates a disassembleable device having a tubular member which clamps removably to a ground anchor portion. An upper horizontal member clamps removably to the upper end of the tube. No lateral fingers or pins extending from the upper horizontal member are apparent. It does not appear that the device of the Swiss '715 Patent Publication would be suitable for laterally resting the handle of an elongate tool thereagainst, as no means is apparent for preventing the handle of the tool from sliding laterally off the upper crossmember. The present tool rack differs considerably, due to its rigid, unitary construction, spade or blade member for imbedding in the ground to preclude rotation of the device, and fingers extending from the upper crossmember for holding objects leaned thereagainst.
Finally, British Patent Publication No. 2,273,039 published on Aug. 6, 1994 to Richard Conway, titled "Swivel Basket With Bracket Or Stand," describes a plant stand for either mounting on a wall or for floor support. Accordingly, no ground engaging anchor is provided. The upper portion of the device comprises a removable basket-like structure having a plurality of upwardly and radially extending fingers. The device of the '039 British Patent Publication would be unsuitable for use in leaning tools thereagainst, as the lack of ground penetration would allow the free standing device to tip easily.
None of the above inventions and patents, either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.